On Thursday, Mayor Michael Hancock unveiled an array of red-and-white lights decorating the outside of the City and County Building — the neoclassical structure in downtown Denver at 1437 Bannock St. that typically only glows-up to celebrate professional sports teams or the holidays.
“Additionally, councilwoman Kendra Black is asking all Denver residents to join the city in showing their gratitude and support for the people on the frontlines and essential workers by decorating a tree, shrub or window with colorful lights,” city officials said in a press statement. “Residents are encouraged to share photos of their decorations using the hashtag #KeepCalmDenverOn.”
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Optiv Building displays a giant heart in Denver on April 6, 2020. The 40-story building is located at 15th and Arapahoe streets in downtown Denver. (Hyoung Chang, The Denver Post)The measures are part of a public campaign that invokes the well-known Keep Calm and Carry On posters the British government produced during World War II. But they extend beyond official city edicts.
The Optiv building, at 1144 15th St., also displays a pink, heart-shaped design, as seen in Instagram photos under the #KeepCalmAndDenverOn hashtag.
Although the campaign is brand new, a hashtag search on Instagram already yielded nearly 50 results as of mid-morning Friday, with a handful of images of people’s homes decorated in the style encouraged by the city.
Hancock’s Thursday lighting downtown — where he was joined by councilwoman Black and police Chief Paul Pazen (“from safe distances”) — was certainly the largest, but others are sprouting up “from Green Valley Ranch to Bear Valley, from Berkeley to Hampden Heights and everywhere in between,” Hancock said.
“Their dedication cannot be taken for granted, so we are inviting everyone to show their thanks by showing their lights,” he said. “I’m humbled by the sacrifice and service I have witnessed in recent weeks, and these lights on our City and County Building honor our Denver heroes and the heroes everywhere leading the response to this pandemic.”
